Apparatus for the purification and treatment of feed water or other liquids



Feb, 28, 1967 H. J. ATKINSON APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF FEED WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS Filed April 13, 1965 United States Patent 3,306,709 APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF FEED WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS Herbert J. Atkinson, Sudbury Laboratory, Sudbury, Mass. 01776 Filed Apr. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 447,801 1 Claim. (Cl. 23272) This invention relates to new and improved apparatus for purification and treatment of feed water or other liquids and is particularly adapted to provide purification of the feed water before it enters further apparatus such as for instance a boiler, in order to remove impurities which are apt to be injurious. This invention is an improvement over my prior Patent No. 2,955,923 dated October 11, 1960.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of new and improved structure for the more efficient removal of dirt or soil from feed water or other fluids flowing through the apparatus even when dirt or waste material is in substantial amounts; the provision of a device adapted to withstand relatively high pressures, and which is easier to service and clean.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a more efiicient apparatus which is easier to service and install.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation partly in section of the improved apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section therethrough taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken along the lines 33 and 44 of FIG. 2, respectively, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the cover.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved liquid treating apparatus has been disclosed as comprising a cylindrical upright casing mounted on a base 12 and conveniently welded thereto in the event that the casing is made of steel. The casing is provided with a top flange 14 somewhat similar to the base for the reception of a cover member 16. This cover member is provided with bolt holes such as at 18 and slots such as at 20 for the quick and easy application of the cover and removal thereof while providing a very strong structure. If desired the cover may be provided with a removable plug 22.

Near its upper end the casing 10 is provided with a pair of fittings 24 and 26 to which piping may be applied as desired for the in and out flow of the fluid material that is to be treated. Inside of the casing 10 it is provided at diametrically opposite points with parallel elongated guide members 28, 30 in the form of strips which extend longitudinally substantially from top to bottom of the casing. It will be seen that these guide members are arranged in a plane that is transverse with respect to the axis of the fittings 24 and 26, i.e., at 90 with respect thereto.

These guides slidingly receive the edge portions 32, 34 of a center baflle 36 which extends diametrically across the casing and divides it into two main compartments. The baflle has a cut out portion near the top thereof which is indicated at 38, see FIG. 2, and this cut out forms a flow passage between the two [main compartments. Also the cut out area at 38 forms two upwardly extending arms 40 and 42 and one of these as for instance in the area at 44 is cut olf or shortened to form an automatic by-pass.

Secured to the center baflle there are a pair of semicircular members forming a cylindrical basket gene-rally indicated at 46, this basket extending substantially from the top of the casing to a point spaced from the bottom. This basket is closed at the bottom by -a perforated member 48. The basket is generally continuous but'in the lowermost area thereof as is indicated at 50 the side walls thereof are perforated. The baflle however is solid all the way through, and rests on the floor as shown. A drain plug or the like is provided in the bottom of the casing as at 52.

The basket and baflle fonm a semi-annular chamber 54 adjacent the fitting 24 and a separate and complementary semi-annular chamber 56 adjacent the fitting 26, these chambers being substantially separate. The basket and the bafl'le form two semi-circular chambers 58 and 60, located within the semi-annular chambers 54 and 56.

There is also the bottom chamber just beneath the perforated basket bottom member 48 and this provides "storage for dirt or waste material which passes through the apparatus and is removed periodically through the cleanout plug or drain 52.

At the top of the basket there is provided a handle or lift-out bar 62 so that the entire assembly of basket and baflle can be lifted out for cleaning and replenishment of the fluid treating material.

The basket is commonly filled with coarse granular or crystalline material for treatment of the fluids. This material may be for instance water glass. The liquid to be treated flows in for instance at 24 down the semiannular chamber 24 and through the perforations in the lower portion of the basket. The fluid rises in the chamber 58 to the cut out portion at 38, flows over the edge of the baflle and descends and passes out through the perforations at the lower portion of the basket forming chamber 60, thence rising in chamber 56 and out the fitting 26.

If for any reason the apparatus should become clogged, the automatic by-pass at 44 will allow continued operation of the apparatus until it can be cleaned.

The present apparatus has several clearly defined advantages. The top cover is quickly and easily removable at any time but the construction is Very strong. The basket and baflle are removed together as a unit by handle 62 and are automatically correctly positioned with the baflle transverse to the axis of the fittings 24 and 26 simply by locating it within the casing with the edge portions of the baflle slidingly received in the guides 28 and 30. The device can be made extremely strong for high pressure use by being made of steel without however undue weight and can be kept clean with periodic inspections and draining. The guides are apparent at the top of the casing and it is not necessary to peer into the casing in order to determine where the alignment means is located. Once the lower ends of the edge portions of the baflle are entered in the top portions of the guides 28 and 30, it is only necessary to slide the basket down to its final position.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

Liquid treatment apparatus comprising a vertical cylindrical container with intake and outlet passages to admit and remove liquids at separated points in the upper part of the apparatus,

an inner generally upright basket spaced from the interior surface of the container and extending to the top of said container, said basket having perforations in the bottom and lower portion only thereof,

a vertical baffle extending transversely through said basket, said baflle being wider than the basket providing a pair of diametrically disposed vertical longitudinal edge portions for the baflle, said baflle extend ing below the bottom of the basket to the bottom of i the container thereby spacing the basket from the bot- .7

two pairs of fixed vertical guides attached on the interior surface of the container providing two vertical recesses arranged at opposite sides of said container between the intake and outlet passages, said vertical recesses being adapted to slida-bly receive the edge portions of said bafile, the pair of guides providing passage and said outlet chamber being in communication with the outlet passage, the performations in the lower portion of the basket on the inlet side of the bafile forming liquid flow apertures for the passage of liquid from the inlet chamber into the adjacent compartment formed between the basket and the baflie, the perforations in the lower portion of the basket on the outlet side of the baffle forming liquid flow apertures for the passage of liquid from the compartment formed between the basket and bathe on the outlet side and the outlet chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS one of said recesses extending from the bottom to 897,452 9/ 1908 Brun 232,72 the top edge of said container, and the pair of guides 2,603,534 7/1952 Miller 23-272 providing the opposite recess extending from the 2,745,550 5/ 1956 Atkinson 23-267 bottom and terminating short of the top edge thereby 2,955,922 10/ 1960 Atkinson 23272 providing an overflow by-pass,

the basket and baflle forming inlet and outlet chambers between the container and the basket, said inlet chamber being in communication with the inlet NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner.

S. EMERY, Assistant Examiner. 

